Ship s fender



I C. LYONS Nov. 29, 1932. SHIPS FENDER Re. 18,672

2 Sheets-Sheet l Origirial Fild July 25, 1929 CharlesTLyons a c. T.LYONS Nov, 29, 1932, .SHIPS FENDER Re. 18,672

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed July 25, 1929 gwuemtoz;

- Charles 21.90125.

Reissuecl Nov. 29, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES T. LYONS, 0FMEDINA, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR TO DURAIBLE MAT COMPANY, OF SEATTLE,WASHINGTON, A CORPORATION OF WASHINGTON SHIPS FENDER A Original No.1,781,403, dated November 11, 1930, Serial No. 380,280, filed July 23,1929. Application for reissue filed December 21, 1931. Serial No.582,483.

My invention relates generally to marine fenders. Such fenders areemployed in a variety of locations and ways in marine work, moreespecially in connection with tug boats, where they are found upon thestem, upon the stern, and along the sides of the vessels. They will alsobe found useful at the corners of barges, dredges, and piers, and at thesides of such bodies.

Ordinarilythey are made of rope materlal, and being subjected toextremes of compression and chafing action, and to the destructiveeffects of salt water and sun, and since they are largely composed ofold rope, they are not ordinarlly of long life, and they progressivelyand rapidly lose their resilience and their ability to protect thevessels from harmful contact.

It is an object of my invention to provide a radically different type ofmarine fender which will have inherent resilience, long life, and whichcan be, and preferably is made of a heretofore waste material, which hasqualities that especially adapt it for the purpose, namely, the treadsand side walls, or in general the carcasses of discarded rubber tirecasings.

More, especially it is an object to devise a fender wherein theresilience is achieved by the resistance to compression within the planeof a disk or disks out from rubber tire material, which occurs by reasonof the securement in close face-to-face relationship of a series of suchdisks, rather than by the inherent resilience of the thickness of thematerial of which the fender is constructed, as in the case of ropefenders.

It is a further object to devise means for assembling and securingtogether such disks to form fenders or fender sections.

It is a further object to provide means whereby several individualsections may be combined readily into mutually resilient and sustainingfender sections constituting a compound fender. I

It is a further object to provide a fender wherein the materialsemployed for the disks shall have maximum durability and maximumgripping action, because of theincorporation and embedding therein ofthe laminations of rubberized fabric normally found 1n tire'casings.

My invention comprises the novel parts and the novel combination andarrangement thereof, as shown in the accompanying drawings, described inthis specification, and as will be more particularly pointed out by theclaims which terminate the same.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown fenders made in accordancewith the prlnciples of my invention, these fenders varying somewhat intheir assembled shape.

Figure 1 shows a simple form of bow fender. i

Figure 2 is a cross section of the fender of Figure 1, taken at thepoint of attachment of asupporting chain thereto.

Figures 3 and 4 are similar sections of fenders in which a plurality ofthe simple fenders shown in Figures 1 and. 2 are assembled to make acompound fender.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section, and F gure 6 is a section on theline 66 of Figure 5, showing a side fender.

Figures 7 and 8 are plan views of bow fenders having modifiedconstructions.

Figure 9 is a longitudinal section of the pudding of the fender ofFigure/7.

Figure 10 illustrates the'assembling ofa plurality of fender units invertically disposed relation.

The essence of my invention consists in the use of disks or plateshaving aninherent resiliency, and preferably also having embedded withinthem a form-retaining and wear-resisting cotton fabric, and a fabricwhich lessens the flexibility of the disks, these disks being so heldtogether in face-toface relationship that the flexibility of theindividual disks is largely eliminated, and stresses upon opposite edgesof the disks, as they are assembled, are absorbed within the plane ofthe several disks, whereby they are adapted for use as fendersinterposed between two otherwise contacting portions of vessels whichmay be alongside of each other. My invention also includes certaindetails of construction as will be hereinafter pointed out.

I employ the'term disk in this specificavidually flexible to somedegree, this fleXi-' bility is restrained, and they are mutuallysustaining, yettheir inherent resilience and compressibility is retainedto the fullest when a number of disks are held together in faceto-facerelationship and prevented from moving out'of such relationship by somesuitable means, 'for instance, a core passing through them.

.The material which I contemplate using chiefly is automobile tirematerial, for this is made of a good grade of rnbber,-inherentlyresilient, and having embedded in the rubber one or many plies offabric, the exposed edges of which prevent breaking and wearing off ofthe rubber, and which'limits elongation of the disks and the flexibilitythereof, and

' which lessens somewhat surface-tosurface compressibility and edge-toedge compressibility inthe plane of the disks. In addition, disks ofsuch material possess non-slipping and gripping properties which renderthem superior to any material known to me and used forrmarine fenders.The incorporation of fabric in such material adds .enormously to thelife of such fenders, for the fabric holds 'the rubber together, andlimits extremes of compression. However, I do not desire to beunderstood as limiting myself solely to the use of such material, fordisks and other parts especially made to fill specific needs may beemployed as required. Disks made from tire material may be obtained insizes up to twenty-four inches in width, made from large truck tires,and the length may be as great as desired up to the extremecircumference of'the tire employed. The size of disks used, of course,will vary with the type and size of the fender desired.

. Since tire casings are not of uniform thickness throughout, such disksmay. vary somewhat in thickness at different points, depending upon theway in which they are cut. They may be cut, for instance, in such a wayand of such size as to be thicker at one edge and thinner at theopposite edge. Such variations in thickness may be made use of,

and they may be so combined in the assembled fenderunit, either toneutralize the differences of thickness or toproduce afender of curvedor bent shape, the thicker portions being placed on the outside of thecurve.

As will now be understood, disks of the material indicated,'and ofa sizeand shape to fit the specific: needs, are cut and placed in face-to-facerelationship, and then means are provided for maintaining them in thisrelationship and for supporting them upon the vessel. As a means forholding the disks together, the several disk elements 1" may be providedwith holes adapted for the reception of a binding rod or rods 2, or anequivalent member'which' clamps and holds the disks of a unit closetogether in face-to-face relationship. To further clamp them togetherand to support the terminal disks of a section, it is preferable toemploy, at the end of each fender element, and also whereever desired atintermediate points, plates 20 of metal or other suitable materialthrough which the binding rods pass. If circular disks are employed, itis desirable to prevent rotation of any one disk relative to theadjacent disks, and usually I will employ more than one binder rodforinstance, three rods, chains, or the like, in each fender unit.

Unless the binding means or core is inherently flexible, it or they maybebent as necessary to fit the contour of the vessel, and preferablythis bending is done before assembling the disks thereon. They may, ofcourse, be chains or cables and therefore inherently flexible, or theymay be of such small size that the fender may be bent after assembly,but it is preferable to employ comparatively stout rods bent'previous toassembly,

The figures show illustrative forms offenders embodying my invention.Figures 1, 7 and 8illustrate bow fenders- Preferably, since these wouldordinarily be of considerable size, the fenders would be composed of aplurality of fender units. In this instance, to enable the completeassembling of the individual units and then their assembly upon a commoncore, theindividual binding rods are employed in each fender section,and the disks of each section are additionally centrally aperturedforthe passage of a core member 3, which in this instance takes the form ofa large metal rod. This core passes through the center of each fendersection, holding all. the sections to-- gether and serving as a meanswhereby the fender may be supported from the vesselfor instance, it maybe provided with an eye 30, or like means, at each ,end, whereby linesmay be attached to enable proper handling and supporting of the fender,and at the pudding a further supporting chain, as 4, connected with thecentral core 3', may be provided. Additional supportingdevicesintermediate the pudding and the ends of the wings may 'be provided ascircumstances require.

A simple form of bow fender would employ a single such construction, ashas been indicated in Figure 2. However, I may employ a plurality ofsuch assemblies as indicated in Figures 3 and 4. In order to obtain themutual resilience of the piled up assemblies, as illustrated in Figure4, plates 21 or open links 22, as indicated in Figure 3, may be employedto secure together the cores 3 and to permit limited movement of onesection relative to the other.

The fender shown in Figure 5 is a roller or side fender. To permitrotation of the fender relative to its core a tube 5 may be providedsurrounding the rod 8 and sufliciently larger to permit free turning ofthe fender upon the rod. suspending lines may be secured to the eye 30at either end of the core 3. The tube 5 is suitably secured to the endplates 20, for instance, by having its end flanged or provided with anut to clamp these end plates. This fender is designed to be supportedagainst the side of a ship with its axis horizontal or between the sidesof two ships with its axis vertical, so that it may roll and turn freelywithout twisting its suspending lines when so placed.

Figures 7 8 and 9 illustrate a modified construction for a bow fender inwhich the two wings are separate from each other, and a separate pudding6 is built up to which the wings are connected. In the pudding the disksmay be made either circular, as in Figure 7, or somewhat wedge-shaped,as in Figure 8, and they are shown assembled in horizontal planes withthe axis of the core 3 vertical.

In this construction certain of the disks 1, in the wings adjacent thepudding may advantageously be made and placed with a thicker edgeoutwardly. The natural difference in thickness between tread and sidewall portions of a tire may be suflicient for this purpose, butspecially molded disks may be employed if desired.

The core rod 3 of the wings may extend through the pudding to the otherwing, or may be connected direct with the core rod 3 of the pudding, asshown, or the connection between the wings and pudding may be made inany other suitable manner, but preferably by rigid members which linktogether in some manner the cores of the wings and pudding,respectively.

In all these fenders, whether of simple form or compound form, it willbe observed that the individual disks are so placed that one edge willcontact with the vessel upon which they are supported, and the oppositeedge will be presented to an object which is to be fended off. Thedisks, if they stood alone, would be so flexible, notwithstanding theembedded fabric, that they would offer but slight resistance under suchpressures, but being held together in face-to-face relationship, theyare mutually sustaining, and compression is absorbed within. the planeof the individual disks, thus insuring the maximum resilience andthickness of rubber, yet also insuring long life. Furthermore, theindividual disks, if thus presented, would flex so that the cut edge,containing the fabric, would bend over, and only rubber, which isslippery when wet, would contact. By making the disks mutuallysustaining the fabric is presented to the two surfaces, and anunlooked-for gripping action occursso much so that a tug, thus equipped,can warp a vessel into its berth, when pushing at a quartering angle,without the use of breast or stern lines.

What I claim as my invention is 1. A ships fender comprising a pluralityof separate plies of automobile tire casing material having fabricincorporated therein to resist compression in the plane of the ply, saidplies being disposed in face-to-face relationship, and means to retainsuch plies closely adjacent one another to be mutually sustaining and toabsorb shocks in the planes of the individual plies.

2. A ships fender comprising aplurality of separate disk-like plies ofautomobile tire casing material having compression resisting fabricincorporated therein, and disposed in face-to-face relationship, meansto prevent material separation or flexing of adjacent disks, wherebythey are mutually sustaining and absorb pressure upon opposite edges inthe plane of the individual plies, and means extending through a groupof disks to support the entire group.

3. A ships fender comprising a plurality ice of disks disposed inface-to-face relationship,

each disk being individually flexible and resiliently compressiblewithin limits in its own plane, and having compression resisting fabricembedded therein, and means securing together a plurality of such disks,thereby to largely eliminate the tendency of individual disks to flex,and causing them to absorb pressure upon opposite sides by yieldingsubstantially in the respective planes of the individual disks affected.

4. A ships fender comprising a plurality of disks disposed inface-to-face relationship, each disk being of inherently resilient andflexible material, and having incorporated within it a fabric limitingextension and decreasing flexibility, whereby the disk" tends tomaintain itself, when unstressed, substantially in its own plane, andmeans holding together a plurality of such disks, thereby to mutuallysustain each other against flexure, and to induce the absorption ofcompresiion in the plane of each disk, without buck- 5. A ships fendercomprising disks cut from rubber tire casings, and means to holdtogether a plurality of such disks to mutually sustain each other, toabsorb pressure between opposite edges in the respective planes of theindividual disks.

6. A compound ships fender comprising disks cut from rubber tirecasings, means to secure together a plurality of such disks inface-to-face relationship to form a fender section, and means securingtogether a series of such sections to form a fender.

7 A compound ships fender comprising disks cut from automobile tirecasings, means to secure together a plurality of such disks in mutuallysustaining faoe-to-face relationship to form fender sections, and meansto secure a plurality of such sections alongside each other, presentingdisks in adjoining sections in edge-to-edge relationship, to form thefender.

8. A fender composed of a plurality of sections, each section comprisingdisks of tire material, and an assembling core upon which said disks arestrung, and rigid members extending transversely between the core ofeach section and the core of an adjacent section at intervals to joinsuch sections with their disks in edge-to-edge relationship.

9. A ships fender comprising a pluralityv of disks'of tire materialdisposed in face-toface relationship, and a plurality of spaced bindingelements passing through said disks to hold them in the specifiedrelationship.

10. A ships fender composed of sections, each comprising a series ofdisks of a resilient material assembled in iace-to-face relation, aplurality of binding elements passing through said disks at po ntsoutwardly of a central axis, and an assembling member passing centrallythrough said sections.

11. A ships fender comprising a plurality of flat elements of resilientmaterial disposed in parallel planes. means incorporated within eachelement to limit extension in all directions, but permittin limitedcompression and flexibility, means to hold said elements in suchdisposition and to prevent their buckling, and to present them edgewisebetween a vessel and another body to be fended ofi.

Signed at Seattle, King County, Washington, this 3rd day of December,1931.

. CHAS. T. LYONS.

